Need to go up there shortly and thinking of taking in a 3-4 hour loop including a good descent. Did Carn Ban Mor last weekend so don't want to repeat that.

Was possibly thinking Inverdruie, ski road, path to Chalamain Gap (yes I know it will be "interesting" getting the bike through there), down to Lairig Ghru, down LG to Inverdruie. What do you reckon?

Any better suggestions?

Oh go on someone. You can't all be out riding

what about going to the west side of the A9 and doing the Burma Rd – cracking 'big sky' loop if you haven't done it before, although not as technical as the stuff further east

Don't know of the timing of this one, but am planning to have a crack very soon at:

Reindeer Centre
Towards Ryvoan bothy
Off path over NE shoulder of Bynack More
Fords of Avon refuge
Lairig an Laiogh
Up past Hutchinson memorial hut to Loch Etchachan
Up W path to summit of Ben Macdui
Plummet back to car park

Can't be more than 5 – 6 hours tops, surely? Would think more 4 -5 if you can spare the extra hour…

iainc – mmm had thought about the Burma Road. Apart from the scenery how interesting is the riding? Also how long to you reckon – as a comparison Carn Ban Mor took me about 3.5 hours with a 25 min lunch stop

acorlett – looks great but 37km and 1600m climbing has got to be at least 6 hours. More time than I'm going to have probably, but tempting

Edit – wonder if that route would be better the other way round as the McDui to Hutchinson descent is top, as is Bynack Mor to Ryvoan

Burma Rd need not take long. I think I did it in 3-3.5hrs pretty mellow pace & a few stops.

Acorlett

A cracking route but you're arguably doing it in the wrong direction!!!!!!! I suspect you will have more carrying doing it clockwise and the descent to Glen Derry from MacDhui gets two thumbs up from some of the other forum dwellers.

I rode the last part of your route the other way last weekend. I'm planning on doing your loop in reverse this weekend and hopefully taking in Cairngorm, MacDhui, Derry Cairngorm and Bynack Mor summits for good measure. The first half of the descent to Etchacan is truly world class and I gather the next section is even better (only walked it in winter in the snow). I don't reckon the descent off MacDhui, although no doubt good, would be as good as the alternative. If you descend from Bynack Mor, you are pretty much downhill all the way to Glenmore Lodge.

I reckon you would have to be pretty fit to do it in 4 to 5 hours with no stops and really cracking along. There's a lot of height gain and loss in that loop. You'll also want to stop to take photos, take in the views and get some food down yer craw!

Messiah is your man for the local advice and in my experience, he calls things spot on.

Cheers

Sanny

PS

Captain Mainwaring

Mealle a Buchaille with the descent down to Ryvoan – very nice indeed. Add in Badaguish and you have a cracking circuit. Just make sure you take pics and post them here! 😀

Hmm…you could well be right. Oh well, will try it this weekend and post time if you're still interested and it's not too late. Northwards plummet off Ben Macdui can only be good, though – walkers permitting.

From my experience, Burma Road is well worth a go. Riding is not really interesting at all, but still has a great 'out there' kind of vibe.
Do do it anti-clockwise though. Plummet from the top to car park is great fun.

+1 for Badaguish.

Sorry – sanny was typing as your post went up!
Thanks for info – will give it a shot – can't wait. Scenery looks belting.

Thanks Sanny – you posted just as I was editing my last message saying exactly the same. When are you doing your epic this weekend and would you consider me tagging along?

Messiah to the forum please

sanny/belgianbob – when you say add in Badaguish do you mean up to Craiggowrie then along the ridge to Meall a Bhuachaille then down to Ryvoan?

Oh and Sanny I won't be offended if you say no to tag alongs as you are probably a lot fitter than me 🙂

I second Sanny for doing the Ben Macdhui route anti-clockwise.
Chalamain Gap route is good too – we did it with an inch of snow in the gap which made it more difficult and slippy. It is a full on bike portage at times. Good descent.
Meall a Bhuchaille would be good too.

Can I just confirm which way round to do Meall a Bhuchaille? The singletrack descent to the road looks longer than down to Ryvoan. Also the suggestion to add Badaguish – is that along the ridge from Craiggowrie or what?

thanks

Hi Captain

Normally I would say yes but I've not ridden the complete loop before and am planning to take in 4 munros as part of the ride. It could be a VERY long day out and I'd rather ride it first before inflicting one of my damn fool adventures on you! Last weekend ended in a 10km carry and trudge at the end of the ride……. 😯

Cheers

Sanny

PS Yes to your question about Mealle a Buchaille – you can ride the singletrack trails for the XC course then head up onto the ridge. I've only ridden and carried up the centre but reckon the ridge route may be as good or even better. It's a top descent – nothing mental although some of the stone pitched steps are fairly steep.

captain – to come back on the Burma rd – I have doen it solo in 3.5, or with a group usually more like 4 to 4.5 including a lunch stop in Carrbridge. A lot of double track from the Aviemore end, killer climb up to the top, a very fast descent from the top that is a few miles long and in good weather absolutley stunning, then a lovely part singletrack part doubletrack section along the river to Carrbridge for a few miles. can then pick up singletrack through the forest to Boat of Garten and back in the Speyside Way.

Scenery wise I reckon it tops the stuff I have done over towards Lairg Ghru, but not in the same league technically

sanny – enjoy it. Sounds like a very big day. Assuming I get up there I will definitely try the ridge along to Mealle a Buchaille. Looks like its going to be a cracking day.
I'm intending to do a 4 Munro day myself at some point in the near future – Invervar horseshoe in Glen Lyon. Walked it before, reckon it should be nearly all rideable once on the ridge

iainc – thanks. I'll probably leave the Burma road until I take some mates up there for an easier ride. Techy beckons this weekend methinks

As above… Bhuchaille to Royvoan has some epic rocky steps… your choice whether to carry up them or have near death experiences trying to ride down them 😆 Not for the wet!

Sanny – My guestimate for the MacDhui circuit mentioned above would 7-8 hours without the summit detours. I would want the weather to be perfect – top of big mac is not the place to get lost, and once you've committed to crossing over and back in a day your bail-out routes are severely limited … and I'll be jealous

3-4 hour rides in the area… I would be peiceing epic bits of stuff together – I'm mostly about the interesting techy stuff so I'd want to get as much of that in as I can and limiting the fireroad drags.

Burma road has some interesting singletrack off it. Smooth climb up to the cairn before the saddle and descend to Ballinluig on a not that clearly defined path… with some good sized drops and boggy bits to catch you out. A few ways to do the next bit but you want to get along to Alt Chriochaid and up to the phone masts at Creag a' Mhuilinn (we tend to go across the heather and through the woods – no path). Techy landy climb up to the masts (what kind of 4×4 can get up here?). Once at the masts go round the back and pick up the path down to Alvie – there is a 10ft deer fence to climb. This takes you to the old Alvie DH track and is great fun – it gets rockier towards the bottom! At the bottom head to Alvie Lodge and cross the A9 to pick up the Speybank spingletrack to Kincraig (which is lovely). Cross the Spey at Kincraig and go through the Sculpture park at Inshriach forest through to Feshie bridge. Then fireroad through to pick up the bothy bikes descent to Loch an Eilein.
Very difficult to give better descriptions as it's a jumble of local knowledge stuff linked together but hopefully clear enough to follow. Plenty of easy bail-outs to the road if running short of time.

Messiah

Believe me, I know how scary MacDhui can get. Been up it in a whiteout in winter. A great experience but one to always refer to when contemplating a trip in big mountains. As much as I would love to travel fast and light, I always get the light bit wrong – lots of food, waterproof, belay jacket etc. Still, better to have it than not!

Sunday is looking pretty special. Fingers crossed! I'm thinking 10 hours-ish to include the summits.

Agreed about the stuff around the Burma Road. There is some cracking stuff round there to be ridden and the old DH track is a hoot.

Captain

The 4 munro route you speak of I've walked too. I'd be up for that if you don't mind the company? Once on the top, it should be mostly rideable with a mint descent to finish.

Cheers

Sanny

Meall a Bhuachaille in t'other direction capt ryvoan to badaguish the other way would not be as good

Sanny, the company would be much appreciated. None of my regular riding buddies seem to be able to get more that a few hours off at the weekend at the moment.

Would need to be a Sunday as they are stag stalking 6 days a week at the moment and the local landowner is somewhat less tolerant of visitors to his fiefdom than a Taliban commander in Helmand.

Will ping you a mail

AJ, I am confused now. What I thought earlier posters had suggested was Badaguish, up to Craiggowrie, along the ridge to Meall a Bhuachaille then down the singletrack to the visitor centre at Loch Morlich?

Meall a Bhuachaille from either end is a push up. The trail to ryvoan bothy has some gnarly steps. and is v steep.

The descent from craiggowrie is a hoot and you then get to ride badaguish.

The ridge is more ridable in the direction i suggest.

we did it as a wednesday night ride a wee while ago, it's pretty damp up there

Thanks AJ.

On the other end of your route, Chalamain Gap is indeed interesting but worth it for the techy stuff afterwards. Do you know about the quad track which goes straight on at the LG/Sustrans route crossroads? Makes a more pleasant descent than the tourist route back to the road. It's on the 1:25 but not the 1:50 map and end with a deepish ford over the River Luineag.

LD, no not aware of that track. Where exactly does it go from? I only have 1:50 so do not know which is the Sustrans route.

As the rivers are pretty low I assume the ford will not be a problem at the mo

IIRC, that's the ford almost opposite the entrance to the Sled Dog centre. If so, it's fordable most of the year with a bit of care. It can be over knee-height.

Best saved to the end of the ride so you don't care about getting soaked.

Sorry shouldn't have been so cryptic/sarcastic. The loop from Inverdruie to Loch Morlich via the Cairgorm Club footbridge. It used to be very pleasant and rough but has been smoothed over the years. It's a path T junction on the 1:50, 1km East of the footbridge. Just go straight on and follow your nose, gets a bit indistinct towards the bottom. And yes Druidh it does come out near the Sled dog centre and it will definetly get your feet wet.

Got it, thanks

Ok, I'm going to get a slagging for this but I think it needs to be said:
Increasing amounts of folk riding on the high Cairngorm Plateau and Loch A'an basin (due to its unique status with sub-artic tundra and associated flora that will not grow back in a hurry once it is destroyed) will result in only one thing IMO and that is the banning of off-road riding in the whole National Park.
Piles the sandbags ever higher here!!

Hadn't noticed the much large numbers of walkers on the high tops resulting in a walking ban. Although I doubt either could be banned under access law.

Anyway walkers and riders tend to use narrow paths with the vast majority of the area being unaffected. How many users do you ever see off the paths? Anywhere? Very few I would say.

There are a lot more walkers than cyclists straying off the main paths.

what about the new man made 'path' from the ski car park down to rothiemurchus though – totally winds me up – fortune of public money spent and wholly engineered to be bike 'unfriendly'. I can understand the need to stop folks using it as a downhill run, but that could have been done easily with some regular slow down corners/boulders, rather than the complete obstacle course they built (with our money) 😈